I think that was the point...happy family in one shot, dead family in the next.

Yeah, but since they were all so short and basically the same--they didn't do much for me. I mean, there's a similar scene in this movie called Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (when the killers watch a video), that's 1000x more disturbing than the Sinister videos.

I thought it was proven that Phantasm II is an upscale? From everything I've read it's a really bad transfer.

Also, I don't know about Gremlins being on the list of worst discs. No way - I have the triple-pack and Gremlins looks pretty fantastic. Yes, it's grainy. It still looks great. Nowhere close to worst.

If you want to talk about worst Horror blu-rays, look no further than Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - that was an unbelievably dark and lousy transfer. Very disappointing for such a great film. Re-Animator is also quite bad - it truly looks like an upscale and likely is, as there is no additional detail between the DVD and blu-ray, as proven in screencaps.

Hands-down worst horror film transfer on blu-ray though has to be The Deadly Spawn. Just read the thread to see what a mess that turned into. The original disc became a waxy mess as the 16mm grain was scrubbed clean along with any hint of detail or texture. It was recalled, replacements were promised, and never delivered, and the newer release is just as bad - literally an upscale with interlacing artifacts locked into the progressive image. Just a mess, which is sad because it's a fantastic little horror film, full of great effects and atmosphere. The Synapse DVD is far better.

Also, the thing can't be on the list of best discs simply because it's not as good as the HD-DVD. Comparing the screenshots, it's obvious some detail is lost due to DNR. Also, they drop all the DVD extras which is a shame as there was an absolutely awesome documentary, plus the soundtrack, test footage, etc.

I have no idea why people like this film. It's 90 minuets of Ethan Hawk refusing to flip a light switch while being tormented by Gene Simmons. The only thing that is cool is the 8mm-style snuff films, which I suspect was the primary idea for the movie in the first place, because everything else is cliched tripe.

The scares are mostly of the "boo" pop out kind. Cheap thrills that require no skill. It's too bad, as those snuff films really do build a nice sense of intrigue and suspense.

Sinister is an odd duck of a horror movie. You get the feeling the studio had two different scripts and combined them; one centered around a family intended for a PG-13 rating and a much darker script with the snuff material and Ethan Hawke's character.

There is a very creepy movie hidden somewhere inside Sinister, but too much pandering to domestic issues hurts the pacing of the story. Cutting the mother out of the story probably would have made it a better movie.

If we are talking bad horror BDs, number one on any list has to be Near Dark. Almost an unwatchable transfer, the DVD looks better at times.

Best BD exclusives: It's hard to know when a BD is superior to DVD in terms of extras but some studios can slip a BD exclusive in some bonus content, here are the best buys just for their BD exclusive content.

Mimic Director's Cut.
Jaws. (The Shark is Still Working documentary)
Halloween 2 Universal release. (This one is worth owning just only for "Terror in The Aisles" which makes it's HD debut and exclusive on this BD and you can still own the Scream edition).
Alien Quadrilogy.
Trick R Treat.
Young Frankenstein.

Best Sound: What can i say, it's a diffcult one to categorize but these ones have the best ones to try out on your home theater system with the finest soundtracks to rattle your system.

Hellboy 2. (Yes the film is a mix of horror, fantasy, comedy and action yet the film has incredible lossless DTS MA 7.1 surround sound to take your ears to sensations)
Jaws. (Audiophiles will be pleased at the new 7.1 loseless remastered soundtrack but don't worry the original mono is included too)
Jurassic Park.
The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Alien.
Aliens.
Drag Me to Hell.
Pan's Labyrinth.
Psycho.

Best region free BD: Not every BD is here in the US but some US residents don't always realize that some foreign release BDs can play on US based players. Some can be purchased on Amazon.Com or Amazon.Com.UK or DiabolikDVD or Arrowfilms.

Vamp (Arrow). (Better than the crappy Image BD has this has crisp picture/sound/coloring with extras abound to please anyone who enjoyed this movie and a must own for fans of this cult fave)
A Bay of Blood (Arrow). (Quality picture here)
Let The Right One In (Optimum) (This one has more extras than the US release).
Dawn of the Dead (1978) Arrow.

Best upgrade BDs: Is your goal to upgrade your DVD collection BDs into high definition? here are the best ones money can buy with quality picture/sound and extras that made the DVDs so special yet even better here.

Jaws.
Alien.
Jurassic Park.
Night of the Creeps.
Little Shop of Horrors Director's Cut. (Plenty of reasons to upgrade from your DVD is for some of the extras but also for the director's cut with a long lost 20 minute alternate ending in restored picture/color/sound quality but fans don't worry the theatrical happy ending cut is included)
Halloween 2 (Scream) and Halloween 3.
Phantasm 2.
They Live.

They May Surprise You BDs: When coming to something like this you think i'd be pimping Jaws, Alien, Evil Dead, Halloween etc. which are well known titles but what about those more obscure titles you wouldn't consider worthy of a BD purchase, well these titles may surprise you not just for their extras but for their amazing PQ transfers and SQ.

Worst BDs: I can't give the best without presenting the worst BDs that anyone could "accidentally" own and there is alot sometimes, these are BDs to avoid at all cost.
Night of the Living Dead 1990.
Dead Alive.
Jacob's Ladder.
Dog Soldiers.
Gremlins.
The Crazies 1973.
The Hill have Eyes 1977. (Stick to your old 2-disc DVD from AB and you get better picture quality than this lousy BD)
Black Christmas (1974).
Halloween H2O.
Dead and Buried.

I want to see this film as so many people seem to love it, but I was disappointed to hear how the blu turned out. I guess I need to swing by one of the few remaining Blockbusters in my area and rent it.

Well The Crazies 1973 BD is just a mildly cleaned up port of the DVD and adds nothing new to the table.

Well I don't think it will ever look great and like a new film or anything. It's better then nothing I suppose. When you say, "port of the DVD" do you mean it's not a ture HD transfer and a up convert?

Best BD exclusives: It's hard to know when a BD is superior to DVD in terms of extras but some studios can slip a BD exclusive in some bonus content, here are the best buys just for their BD exclusive content.

Mimic Director's Cut.
Jaws. (The Shark is Still Working documentary)
Halloween 2 Universal release. (This one is worth owning just only for "Terror in The Aisles" which makes it's HD debut and exclusive on this BD and you can still own the Scream edition).
Alien Quadrilogy.
Trick R Treat.
Young Frankenstein.

Best Sound: What can i say, it's a diffcult one to categorize but these ones have the best ones to try out on your home theater system with the finest soundtracks to rattle your system.

Hellboy 2. (Yes the film is a mix of horror, fantasy, comedy and action yet the film has incredible lossless DTS MA 7.1 surround sound to take your ears to sensations)
Jaws. (Audiophiles will be pleased at the new 7.1 loseless remastered soundtrack but don't worry the original mono is included too)
Jurassic Park.
The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Alien.
Aliens.
Drag Me to Hell.
Pan's Labyrinth.
Psycho.

Best region free BD: Not every BD is here in the US but some US residents don't always realize that some foreign release BDs can play on US based players. Some can be purchased on Amazon.Com or Amazon.Com.UK or DiabolikDVD or Arrowfilms.

Vamp (Arrow). (Better than the crappy Image BD has this has crisp picture/sound/coloring with extras abound to please anyone who enjoyed this movie and a must own for fans of this cult fave)
A Bay of Blood (Arrow). (Quality picture here)
Let The Right One In (Optimum) (This one has more extras than the US release).
Dawn of the Dead (1978) Arrow.

Best upgrade BDs: Is your goal to upgrade your DVD collection BDs into high definition? here are the best ones money can buy with quality picture/sound and extras that made the DVDs so special yet even better here.

Jaws.
Alien.
Jurassic Park.
Night of the Creeps.
Little Shop of Horrors Director's Cut. (Plenty of reasons to upgrade from your DVD is for some of the extras but also for the director's cut with a long lost 20 minute alternate ending in restored picture/color/sound quality but fans don't worry the theatrical happy ending cut is included)
Halloween 2 (Scream) and Halloween 3.
Phantasm 2.
They Live.

They May Surprise You BDs: When coming to something like this you think i'd be pimping Jaws, Alien, Evil Dead, Halloween etc. which are well known titles but what about those more obscure titles you wouldn't consider worthy of a BD purchase, well these titles may surprise you not just for their extras but for their amazing PQ transfers and SQ.

Worst BDs: I can't give the best without presenting the worst BDs that anyone could "accidentally" own and there is alot sometimes, these are BDs to avoid at all cost.
Night of the Living Dead 1990.
Dead Alive.
Jacob's Ladder.
Dog Soldiers.
Gremlins.
The Crazies 1973.
The Hill have Eyes 1977. (Stick to your old 2-disc DVD from AB and you get better picture quality than this lousy BD)
Black Christmas (1974).
Halloween H2O.
Dead and Buried.

Phantasm 2 is still worth owning just for the extras you know and a huge improvement over the bareboned Universal DVD

that depends entirely on how important extras are to the buyer. is an extra ten or 15 dollars worth it for extras? the BD looks like crap and its one title shout should be ashamed of. all the extras in the world don't make up for an upscale

that depends entirely on how important extras are to the buyer. is an extra ten or 15 dollars worth it for extras? the BD looks like crap and its one title shout should be ashamed of. all the extras in the world don't make up for an upscale

It's a transfer approved by Don Coscarelli. Would he approve an upscale? No.

It's a transfer approved by Don Coscarelli. Would he approve an upscale? No.

Supposedly Re-Animator was "approved by the director", but it's absolutely an upscale. There isn't a shred of additional detail between the blu-ray and the DVD, and the comparison shots of the current blu-ray and the new remaster they're working on in Germany put the current blu-ray to absolute shame.

You can add Lifeforce to the "buyer beware" category. The primary feature (international cut) is plagued with both digital noise and DNR in many parts (watch the horrid blurring artifacts all over Mathilda's skin as she starts to suck the life out of her first victim), and the US cut is added as an afterthought with what sounds like a very pathetic 2.0 compressed mix.

I've owned all the home video versions and the Blu-ray is the best I've ever see the film look.

I agree. The Crazies (1973) does not belong on an "avoid at all costs" list, especially for first time buyers. I also disagree with the inclusions of Dead Alive, Jacob's Ladder, Black Christmas (1974) and Dead & Buried. The films themselves should absolutely be recommended (especially Black Christmas). While the Blu-Rays may not offer what one would typically expect from High-Definition compared to other films (most of these discs are somewhat problematic), I thought they each offered a mild to significant upgrade over their existing DVD counterparts and are likely the best existing copies on home video. Whether an upgrade from the DVDs is warranted is one thing, but for first time purchasers, the Blu-Rays for each of these films are, IMO, easily preferable over the DVDs.

It's a transfer approved by Don Coscarelli. Would he approve an upscale? No.

look I love what you guys do over at shout and I plan on buying just about every title on your release calendar but own up to the fact that phantasm II looks pretty bad. either its a transfer that coscarelli approved of 15 years ago, its an upscale or he is blind. transfer approved by director can mean a lot of things. it shouldnt be a free pass to look bad.

im just going by what my eyeballs tell me. all I know is I didn't sell my phantasm II dvd when I got your blu ray. check out the link

look I love what you guys do over at shout and I plan on buying just about every title on your release calendar but own up to the fact that phantasm II looks pretty bad. either its a transfer that coscarelli approved of 15 years ago, its an upscale or he is blind. transfer approved by director can mean a lot of things. it shouldnt be a free pass to look bad.

They have a really tough time owning up in my experience. When you bring up some of the shortcomings of the their master/transfers, I've gotten things like, "Yeah, but we packed the extras on," or "It isn't our fault because we didn't do the master."

I find statements like these, true as they may be, to mostly be cop-outs.

A film's A/V presentation is 85% of why I want a movie on blu in the first place. Extras play about a 10% role, with all the other little touches (like box art and a well designed menu system) making up the last five.

I agree. The Crazies (1973) does not belong on an "avoid at all costs" list, especially for first time buyers. I also disagree with the inclusions of Dead Alive, Jacob's Ladder, Black Christmas (1974) and Dead & Buried. The films themselves should absolutely be recommended (especially Black Christmas). While the Blu-Rays may not offer what one would typically expect from High-Definition compared to other films (most of these discs are somewhat problematic), I thought they each offered a mild to significant upgrade over their existing DVD counterparts and are likely the best existing copies on home video. Whether an upgrade from the DVDs is warranted is one thing, but for first time purchasers, the Blu-Rays for each of these films are, IMO, easily preferable over the DVDs.

Yeah, I was scratching my head as to why The Crazies '73 is on the worst list. I had to watch it last night and it's a solid transfer for a 40 year old low-budget flick. If I was a reviewer on blu-ray.com I'd give it a 4/5 on IQ. It's not perfect, but for the most part it has beautiful color and sharpness and some nice details and blacks. The print was clean and pretty much blemish free. I really don't think it could get any better.

Anyway, that's my opinion and I really don't think The Crazies should be on a worst list next to The Hills Have Eyes and The Deadly Spawn when it's transfer is 10x better the those 2 crappy titles. But everyone has there own opinion and I'm cool with that.